HUMAN POWERED ACROBATIC MODEL?!! DLG

How is this even possible?! Hand launch a model, and fly for minutes, without any propulsion system?!

#Blaser2 #DLG #PickeringRC

Martin Pickering - PickeringRC MERCH!

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Martin Pickering

[SLipo]

This reminds me of the time when I was into RC helicopter (before the "drones" came out). There was an old guy with a glider and he always brought a lawn chair to sit on while flying his glider, because it takes forever for his glider to come back down. He's got the thermal mastered. :)

[zombicatproductions]

Hey, Martin. I flew HLG (Hand Launched Glider) from a VERY young age.
Won my first National Title as a Junior at age 6!
I still proudly display that trophy.
Just thrown, but Max flights were relatively common for the top performers at 3 minutes.
Best 3 flights out of 6 attempts are added together for a total.
I won with 3 Max flights! At 6 years of age!
I am an old man now, relatively, but still remember that fondly.
At the 70th MAAA Nats, I came home with 5 medals. My brother did even better and came home with 9 medals, mostly Gold!
So, there you go. I am old, but STILL competitive.

[effyleven]

YouTube thought I'd like to see this. YouTube was right! That was super. Thank you.

[EleanorPeterson]

You can have a LOT of fun with DLGs! If anybody's new to the idea, don't think that you have to spend £1, 000+ on an all-carbon competition model with ailerons, flaps, etc. A simple, built-up design with some carbon spar reinforcement and rudder/elevator only will fly well, too.

I built a DIY plane (called Spindrift) with a 66" wingspan for under £50. Typical flights are around 60 seconds, but my longest flight with it from a flat field was just over 18 minutes.

Something to bear in mind if you're looking for duration (it's really satisfying to hit lift from a hand-launch!) is that less is more. Every time you touch the sticks you're creating drag and shortening your flight. You don't NEED ailerons or flaps unless you want to fly aerobatics.

If you want to tear about the sky then you won't be worried about duration, but even then, the more you disturb the model, the shorter your flight times will be.

One really useful control on even the simplest model is variable wing camber. This is sort of like extremely wide flaps, or possibly very big full-span ailerons, but they're not used for directional control. I set mine on the right hand stick (I fly Mode 1) to have 1/4" of up movement on the trim, and 1" of down on the stick. They work just like a throttle.

Unlike ailerons, though, they're not constantly waggling about in the airflow - they're most useful when you find a thermal, when you can give the wing some undercamber and slow the plane right down to turn tightly in the rising air.

A modern radio has lots of mixing options that let you have ailerons, flaps, variable camber, and various configurations of airbrakes / spoilers all at the same time, so it seems that you can have your cake and eat it, too... But don't forget about dihedral. A simple rudder + elevator + variable camber wing is pleasant to fly because it has plenty of dihedral which lets the glider fly 'hands off'. It's a very efficient configuration.

If you go for the 'angry' setup, with full aerobatic capability, you'll have a bit less dihedral, a lot less natural stability, and a model that will need to be steered more of the time. Every touch of the sticks reduces your glide-time so it's a bit more of a compromise.

[ednh]

I didn't know this kind of flyer exist! Thumbs up!

[technoxtreme]

Martin, the fun really starts when you learn to hunt thermals (an art in itself)...and your 1-minute flight becomes...half an hour.

[zombicatproductions]

Showing that guy at 0:47 was funny... but cruel, Martin.
I was torn! I laughed AND felt sorry for him at the same time.
Now I feel bad about myself.
Plus it is ALWAYS sad to see a model get destroyed.
I know it happens. I compete. But its still sad to see.
Anyway... keep up the GREAT work, Martin.

[GaryLaaks]

My record is 2hrs with a 2m span Sig Riser 2 channel. Bungy launch. I flew it down to the ground as my neck was buggered from looking up so long. Somehow I love gliders more than all my other lipo planes. Never tried DLG. Looks like loads of fun too.

[zombicatproductions]

That was a reasonably good video, Martin.
I really enjoyed it.
How could anybody give it a thumbs down?
Some people are just haters for no good reason.

[tcftyrannosapiensbonsai]

An elegant design and Your elegant way of throwing it plus fitting sound! A perfect match!

[jamesa]

That's downright awesome! I have a 2.5 Meter Vista Grande EP that I bought nearly ready to fly and just have so much fun with it. I use the electric motor most of the time to gain enough height to look for thermals or I ridge soar back and forth. But as of late, I challenge myself to find thermals near the ground and hand launch right into them. About one in twenty leads to a major thermal but it is so much fun when it does to know I did it without any launch assistance.

[DanielSoonKae]

That poor kid at 0:45 slipped and fell on rotation 😭
That could happen to anyone 🤕
It always pays to check your launching ground carefully for wet/soft spots, holes, rocks, snakes 😱 etc. before you start.

[pdgp]

Acrobatics are what circus performers do. Aircraft perform aerobatics!

[grendelkeep]

I saw someone launch one of these directly into a thermal and take it to the skies. It was amazing. Started off maybe 7 m above the ground and climbed almost out of sight.

[thebrokenmystic]

Hah I’m sitting here wondering how it returns perfectly, only to realize half way through the video that he’s holding a controller 🤦‍♂️

[wunkus]

I love flying DLGs. A fun activity that challenges you both physically and mentally. Each throw and flight is a learning experience.

[daemn]

Flew DLGs for years, always used a neck strap. Have *never* gotten the sticks caught up the strap. Just have to keep a little pressure on the radio with left hand to keep the strap taut. Only time you'd have an issue if you were trying to lift the radio with your left hand rather than let the neck strap support it.

BTW, another fun way to use a DLG is to fly it from the bottom of a slope or near a big (long) building facing a light breeze. Can fly the slope lift for ages without having to be on top of the slope or building.

[JohnHall-uvjm]

And they always land in your hands afterwards?? That's one cool hobby

[gordonquigg]

Beautiful design, super efficient glider, excellent flying skills. In about '59 through early sixties dad made some solid balsa gliders the same size and look, for us to slope soar when I was a kid, but we didn't have rc, so we would have to chose a slope where we could hike to where they would end up landing. Someday soon, I'm going to get into rc gliding. That whole launch method you're doing is awesome fun looking.

[Riceman-op]

That is freaking awesome! My favorite thing as a kid was those little Cox engines which were super loud and they were tied to a tether and you fly them in circles until you're dizzy.